Rocking-horse Winner (Forbidden Luck)

Society trains families to maintain a certain level of social ranking, however, there are certain implications as to how that status is to be maintained. In the Rocking-Horse Winner, Paul has an opportunity to try and help his family’s desperate financial situation and he tries very hard to do so. Paul’s assumption that his mother would stop him from riding his rocking-horse (which is his device to obtain luck for horse bets) is …showed first 75 words of 798 total…

…showed last 75 words of 798 total…is that their social foundation, which is almost entirely based on money, is collapsing. Paul finds a way he can try to solve the problem, but the situation only becomes inflated by his success. Paul knows that his mother would stop him from his gambling if she knew about it. We should all consider whether the help we are trying to provide is positive, or whether it is hurting ourselves and the people around us.